NEW YORK — James Rowson, the Yankees hitting coach, was asked the question at the center of shortstop Anthony Volpe’s struggles: After three seasons in the big leagues, why can’t he have any consistency at the plate?
The Yankees say that’s the next step in Volpe’s growth. When that happens, there won’t be any questions about whether or not he should be the shortstop of the present and future. There’s one problem, though.
The Yankees have no idea why Volpe’s offense mirrors the results of an electrocardiogram.
“It’s a hard question to answer, to be honest with you,” Rowson said. “It’s hard to say why it hasn’t been there because I can tell you that it hasn’t been for a lack of the way he gets after it.
“There is really no real answer to say, ‘Hey, this is specifically why this guy is inconsistent. Sometimes you say that when a guy’s work is inconsistent, but there’s nothing inconsistent about the way he works.”
For the first time since his debut in 2023, Volpe did not start back-to-back games. Manager Aaron Boone said Volpe will be back in the lineup at shortstop on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. Boone added that he views Volpe as the club’s shortstop moving forward. These two games off were viewed as a “reset” that hopefully “serves him well down the stretch.”
That means the Yankees need to get Volpe right if he’s going to be a key part of their roster.
Since his debut, no hitter with at least 1,500 plate appearances has been less effective at the plate than Volpe with his 85 wRC+. In his first two seasons, the Yankees could fall back on Volpe’s glove to inflate his daily value to the club. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie season and was a finalist last year. This year, his glove has significantly regressed, while his offense has not improved, resulting in him becoming one of MLB’s least effective everyday players.
Inside the clubhouse, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Volpe’s middle infield partner, said his teammate hasn’t made any excuses for how he’s performed. He’s been impressed with Volpe’s ability to keep his head down and drown out the boos he’s heard over the past week.
“It’s hard to be a New York Yankee, especially when you’re struggling a little bit because the fans are kind of rough out here,” Chisholm said. “They let you know that they want to win. We got to go out there and do it for them every day. I feel like he’s handling it like a grown man. We have to remember that he’s only 24. He’s gonna learn more stuff over time. He’s already had success, and he’s gonna find his way back to that. I wouldn’t say he’s super struggling. He’s got 18 home runs as a shortstop. That’s sick.
“It’s hard to be a New York athlete, but that’s what makes it better. People care here. You’d rather be in a city where people care than be in a city where they don’t. The highs can be higher basically than anywhere else, but the lows really can be rock bottom.”
When Volpe made the team out of spring training in 2023, it was mainly because the organization believed he would be a good hitter. The Yankees had a reason to believe in Volpe’s offensive potential. He had an .881 OPS across three years in the minor leagues, and his high on-base percentage paired with his power made him the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect. However, over the course of three years in the majors, Volpe has been unable to stick with an approach that works for him.
In his rookie season, Volpe showcased his pull-side power, but he didn’t make enough contact to his liking. That led Volpe to abandon his power approach for a flatter bat path and a more contact-oriented swing, leading to suboptimal results.
This year, Volpe’s been a mixture of the two seasons, oscillating between a power and contact approach that has led to inconsistent results. Rowson pushed back on the notion that Volpe’s behind-the-scenes work on his swing isn’t leading to results.
“I would disagree that it hasn’t translated,” Rowson said. “I would agree, though, that it’s been inconsistent over times. We’ve seen it translate and be really good. It’s just a matter of holding on to it. Can we hold on to that for 60 days? Can we hold on to that for 90 days? We’re looking at how long can we hold on to that hot streak, not necessarily whether or not the swing works. It’s whether or not we can continue to do it over a longer period of time.
“We’re not talking about if he can perform at the major-league level; we’re simply talking about how consistently we can do that. I think that’s a challenge.”
Rowson is confident Volpe will become a consistent major leaguer because of the commitment to his craft behind the scenes. He has previously said no one works harder than Volpe, but shouldn’t the lack of consistency be a concern if that’s true?
“No, it’s concerning when a guy works that hard and I’ve never seen it on the field,” Rowson said. “I’ve seen it. So, I guess it’s the hitting coach in me. I live in a world of failure. I think, and rightfully so, and I understand where people get anxious, right? You’re looking for success every night. I live in a world of failure. There’s never been a successful hitter in the history of the game because no one’s hit over .500 for a season.
“So, it’s just how much level of non-success have you had? I don’t get overly worried about him, because I feel like everything is there for him in terms of being a quality major-league player.”
The only profile that has worked for Volpe on any level is the one he had in the minors, where he displayed his pull-side power. However, Volpe has gotten away from that over the past two years. This season, he ranks 217th out of 252 players in pull air percentage. Boone said he doesn’t care what kind of hitter Volpe becomes long-term as long as he’s productive.
“I think sometimes people want him — because he’s a shortstop with speed — he’s got to hit for a certain average and do certain things,” Boone said. “Productive offensive players come in many shapes and forms. He’s got a lot of ability. He’s shown a lot of flashes of that. I think the next thing for Anthony is the consistency part in limiting some of the peaks and valleys.”
The Yankees view José Caballero, who has started in place of Volpe at shortstop over the past two games, as more of a “10th man.” His value is in his ability to play multiple positions. There’s no question that Caballero has been more productive since the trade deadline than Volpe.
However, as of now, the Yankees don’t plan on there being any competition between the two players. They are relying on blind faith that Volpe, near the end of his third season in the big leagues, will magically discover a fix at the plate despite not being able to diagnose the problem.
“I’m truly not concerned in terms of whether or not Anthony Volpe is going to be a productive major-league hitter at this level,” Rowson said. “I completely believe that he is. And I believe that the spurts of him going good over time will continually last longer and longer until, at some point, it’s a non-story. But when that day is, I don’t have the crystal ball to tell you that.”
(Photo: Ishika Samant / Getty Images)
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